“Charles Gomez has crafted a superb novel that shines a laser beam on the life altering trauma endured by so many children and adults. War correspondents have always been some of our greatest novelists and Mr. Gomez reinforces that fact. “Eye of the Storm” is a compelling eye-opening tale that is so sadly based on truth. You won’t put it down.”

“A heart-rending family tragedy at the center of which is a crime so heinous, that no one dares utter its name. This is a rich novel filled with unforgettable characters.”

“Eye of the Storm” by Charles Gomez is a spell-binding, multi-generational saga that pulses with the raw power of truth, memory, and mystical tradition. At its heart is the unforgettable Lazaro Lopez, a man caught between the haunting echoes of his past and the whispering promise of redemption. Through the interweaving of Afro-Cuban spiritualism and Catholic iconography, the novel achieves a rare magic, illuminating the mysteries of faith, fate and family. The novel doesn’t just tell a story–it immerses you in a world where hope and fear clash as fiercely as the hurricane winds that batter the Lopez family’s home. With the precision of an investigative journalist and the heart of a poet, he renders his characters so vividly that they seem to jump off the page. With echoes of Gabriel Marquez’s magical realism and the social critique of Tennessee Williams, “Eye of the Storm” is destined to become a classic of Latinx literature.”

“An intriguing tale about a man’s childhood trauma and sexual awakening. (“Eye of the Storm”) is a coming- of- age novel (that) focuses on a Cuban-American boy who survives a hurricane and its aftermath. Gomez weaves a tender. complicated relationship between Lazaro and Esperanza (son and mother) which is the focal point of the story.”

“For his first venture into fiction, Charles Gomez, who gave us the award-winning autobiography “Cuban Son Rising,” conjures up a powerful family saga blending magical realism and Afro-Cuban Santeria with realistic trauma: a natural disaster, mental illness, domestic violence, sexual abuse and even murder. As the protagonist, the 70-year old Lazaro, recounts his life, the reader is taken on a riveting journey with stops in Cuba, Florida and Italy where Lazaro and the other characters struggle with their turbulent existence. In the end Lazaro finds peace and, as he puts it: ‘The journey taught me to replace the poison of vengeance with the elixir of understanding.’ It’s a story that will stick with the reader for a long time.”

“In author Gomez’s first novel he takes the reader down the terrible slide of domestic abuse as a hurricane threatens to destroy the whole family. I kept turning the pages. I needed to know what happened next and you will too.”

“A powerful story of estrangement, unreciprocated love, crushing years of despair, lingering anger of being slighted, shoved aside as an outsider while remaining at the center of a highly charged emotional tempest. When the storm clouds clear they give way to a reconnection and guiltless absolution.”

“Charles Gomez, Emmy-Award winning journalist, investigative reporter and playwright, has done it again with his latest novel, “Eye of the Storm.” A sensational work of literary fiction about a Cuban family saga that spans six decades. A must read for anyone seeking to understand The Path. The path where love triumphs over fear and courage determines the outcome of the human condition.”

“In ‘Eye of the Storm’ Charles Gomez  takes us back to a different time to explore and understand a culture few of us know. It’s an intriguing journey and best yet , he brings a newsman’s eye to the story.”

“Western society regards participation in war as the ultimate measure of bravery and manhood. Gomez and I were (covering Nicaragua’s civil war)  to prove our mettle as tough, young war correspondents. I also believe that probing and reporting on the depths of self can be a more accurate measure of a man. And that’s precisely what Gomez has done with his fact-based novel “Eye of the Storm.”

“Eye of the Storm” is the beautifully written and riveting saga of Lazaro Lopez, a retired newspaper reporter living in Little Havana. Lazaro decides to write a book about the events that took place when a killer hurricane wiped out his family home. When Lazaro is a young boy he meets “La Santera Julia”– who teaches him about the mysteries of Santeria. Lazaro participates in its rituals. As the hurricane approaches, long hidden and dark secrets about the Lopez family begin to reveal themselves.

“The novel weaves together powerful scenes of ritual, confrontation, and revelation. As readers embark on this journey with Lazaro Lopez and his family–set against both literal and metaphorical storms–they will encounter a story that, though challenging, illuminates the enduring power of the human spirit to overcome darkness.”

“Charles Gomez has gifted the reader with something truly Dickensian, certainly in expansive scope, with his novel “Eye of the Storm. “In Dickens era there existed an illustrator like no other: Gustave Doré. Doré’s exquisite wood engravings graced the pages of literary greats, including Dickens. Gomez seems to have found his Doré in Ona Lorraine Canilao, a Filipina graphic artist. Like Doré, her works ranges from invitingly intimate and serene, to majestic and even terrifying. “Eye of the Storm” is evocative in ways that are truly cinematic, and Canilao fleshes out so many of those cinematic moments and preserves them on paper in ways that will be remembered for decades to come. So it is with this novel. The storm sweeps through, and we’re left to survey not just the damage, but the leveling and clearing of terrain we once knew, laying new paths for us to follow. “Eye of the Storm” changes everything, especially the heart and mind of the reader.”

“Gomez weaves a gripping bildungsroman novel with a journalist’s precision and a poet’s sensitivity. A Cuban-American boy caught in the liminal space between the past of his family’s dark secrets and the hope of redemption as a killer hurricane advances against a backdrop of mysticism, sorcery and Santeria.”

“Prepare to be swept away by EYE OF THE STORM, the electrifying first novel from Charles Gomez, the award-winning author of CUBAN SON RISING. The epic tale spans six tumultuous decades in the life of an unforgettable Cuban family. What secrets lie hidden in EYE OF THE STORM, the calm at the heart of the hurricane? It exposes what cannot be seen: the fragile threads of hope woven through despair, the power of forgiveness to heal old wounds and the mysterious forces–saints, gods, and fate that shape our destinies.

From the windswept shores of Cuba, to the heart of the hurricane, journey with a young boy as he navigates love, loss and redemption, guided by the spirits of Santeria and the enduring strength of family. DARE to lok into the eye. DISCOVER what it sees. EXPERIENCE a novel that will stay with you long after the STORM has passed.”

”Charles Gomez has crafted something truly remarkable with Eye of the Storm–a novel that reads with the propulsive power of the finest fiction while never losing sight of devastating truths. This is a story that needed to be told and Gomez tells it with unflinching courage and surprising grace.”